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Solitude Mountain Resort features more than 1,200 acres of skiing and riding, with about half divided between beginner and intermediate terrain, and the other half advanced. (Photo courtesy Solitude Mountain Resort)

Little Cottonwood Canyon is better known as it is the home of Alta and Snowbird. But any skier or snowboarder who ventures into the Salt Lake City area really has to visit Brighton and Solitude — two resort gems up near the top of Big Cottonwood canyon.

Smaller in stature than Alta and Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude share the same Wasatch mountain terrain and are hit with the same light powder storms that regularly dump about 500 inches of fluff every winter. It has been a sensational snow season. By mid-February, Solitude already had racked up 342 inches.

Brighton, with 1,875 feet of vertical, has 66 runs, five terrain parks and four high-speed quad chairlifts. Solitude has 79 runs, three bowls and eight chairlifts spread across 2,047 feet of vertical.

From the top of the lifts at both resorts, there are many avenues to the bottom ranging from double diamond to mellow intermediate runs. We found the grooming impeccable at both resorts.

Half the runs at Solitude are rated novice or intermediate. But the place has plenty of chutes and other gnarly terrain for the skilled skier or rider. With injuries and age behind me, my days of skiing off-piste are over. So I rely on one reviewer who noted after a day at Solitude that “this is some of the most impressive off-piste terrain in the country.”

For a very scenic jaunt, you can ski or ride from the slopes of Solitude down into the terrain at Brighton. Look for the Solbright run off the Summit Express lift at Solitude.

At Brighton Resort, 100 percent of its terrain is accessible by high-speed quads. (Photo by Jovvany Villalobos, Courtesy Brighton Resort)

Skiers discovered Brighton in the 1930s. Some ski clubs and individuals started cobbling together surface lifts. There was no owner. But gradually the place found some investors who turned the place into a ski resort.

Solitude was founded in 1957 by uranium miner Robert Barrett. As the yarn goes, he decided to build his own ski resort after he was denied use of the restrooms at Alta which concluded he was not an official guest there.

Each resort has charms and selling points. You can ski under the stars at Brighton six nights a week until 9 p.m. And if you are 10 and younger, two of you can ski and ride free when accompanied by one adult.

Solitude has a nordic center and 20 kilometers of cross-country trail. If you would rather snowshoe, the resort has a 10-kilometer network of snowshoe trails.

Brighton attracts some of the best terrain park amateur artists that I have ever seen. Ride the Majestic chairlift and you have a front row seat to the show-off performers who fly over the berms with an array of mind-blowing tricks.

Over at Solitude, one pleasure stop to catch your breath between runs is the Himalayan Hut in the Roundhouse. Sit back on the sun-splashed deck and enjoy some curry fries, saag paneer and a brew.

Solitude has quite an attractive base village with lodging at the 46-room Inn at Solitude and an array of shops, condos, bars and cafes. There are 10 places to dine on the peak and in the village.

Frequent guests at Brighton camp out in the rustic 20-unit Brighton Lodge by the lifts. The hot tub always fills up by 4.

Most visitors elect to bed down in Salt Lake City, which is usually a 40-50 minute drive to the two resorts. We rode the UTA bus (www.skicity.com) which has some nice connections — and good price deals — between the city and Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird.

Speaking of prices, there are several reduced price options online for lift tickets.

If you are an adult and just walk up mid-week, the ticket is $109 at Solitude and $89 at Brighton.

Alta Ski Area receives more snow than nearly any other mountain resort in Utah — 540-plus inches on average every year. (Photo by Amy David/Courtesy Alta Ski Area)

By Bob Goligoski

Alta and Snowbird sit side-by-side about 45 minutes outside Salt Lake City in one of the snowiest places in the country. That would be Little Cottonwood Canyon where some 550 inches of light, low-moisture powder drifts down virtually every winter.

These two have been elevated by skiers into a Ski Resorts Hall of Fame. Alta opened in 1938 and Snowbird in 1971.

Way back when, this was mining country. I did not see many vestiges of the mines when I visited the two resorts in late January. But the canyon still sticks to its traditional values which I guess is why snowboarders are banned from the Alta slopes.

Snowbird is big, full of powder-happy bowls, cliff jumps and daring terrain. Some 168 runs cascade down from the 11,000-foot summit of Hidden Peak. Eleven speedy lifts, including the 125-passenger tram to the top, keep snowboarders and skiers on the slopes.

Snowbird also has the longest ski tunnel in the country which skiers and riders glide through on their way to Mineral Basin.

Alta boasts 116 runs and a bevy of quick lifts. It has more of an intimate feel than Snowbird and has more terrain for novices and intermediates. The slopes are tighter and have more trees that makes for better visibility on flat light days.

If you go, plan on lunch at the Summit at the top of the Snowbird tram. The place is full of healthy organic dishes based on French rotisserie traditions. The menu includes gluten-free pizza.

I like groomed single black diamonds and there are few better than Regulator Johnson off the top. Or take the slower, winding Chip’s run which spirals down for 2.5 miles. The best intermediate slopes are in Gad Valley.

For those who search for impeccably groomed intermediate runs, Alta has many choices. Two of the best were Rock ‘N Roll and Rollercoaster.

The two resorts are widely known for some of the lightest powder in the West. The weather Gods dump the higher moisture snow around the West Coast and by the time the storms hit Utah, the powder is insanely fluffy.

Snowbird has a variety of terrain so all skill levels can enjoy time on the slopes. (Photo courtesy Snowbird)

Utah is having a great snow year. In early February, Alta and Snowbird were already approaching nearly 400 inches of snow. But all that snow can come with a price. In mid-January, an avalanche shut down the road to the two resorts for nearly 24 hours.

Andria Huskinson, public relations manager at Alta, told me that thanks to the superb snow and other factors, business was up 30 percent so far over the previous season.

Both resorts typically have an extended late season. Alta usually gets about seven feet of snow in April.

Snowbird has several high-rise hotels at the base. Alta has a number of more traditional sleeping spots including Alta Lodge, Snowpine and Rustler Lodge. Expect to really lighten your wallet if you sleep at the resorts.

We opted to check in to a hotel in Salt Lake City. That was after we perused the Ski City website — www.skicity.com — for info on bus connections.

It really worked out. For $400, our Ski City pass entitled us to ski four resorts in Little and Big Cottonwood canyons and the pass was good for bus transportation to and from the resorts.

Take some time to explore the historical facets of the two resorts. At one time, Alta boasted 18,000 residents, making it the largest city in Utah. Now the year-round population has dwindled to about 400.

In a scene that could pass for the middle of winter, this is what Mammoth Mountain looked like this morning near one of the lifts. The resort received 20-26 inches of fresh snow overnight. (Photo courtesy Peter Morning / MMSA)

By Jerry Rice

It’s spring, but someone apparently forgot to tell Mother Nature because about 2 feet of fresh powder fell overnight at Mammoth Mountain – and even more is expected during the next 36 hours.

By the time the storm passes through Saturday evening, according to a National Weather Service forecast, there could be another 2 to 4 feet of snow at the top of the mountain.

So far this season, more than 560 inches of snow has fallen at Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge, where the base is 165 inches. At the 11,053-foot summit, the base is 320 inches, the deepest of any resort in the country, according to a spokesman.

Other resorts, including Heavenly, Kirkwood and Squaw Valley in the Lake Tahoe area, have a base of 183 to 247 inches, and in Utah the resort with the most snow is Alta, which was reporting a 124-inch base this morning.

Back at Mammoth, sunny skies were expected to return by Sunday, when highs will reach the upper 30s. The 10-day forecast shows another possibility for snow next Thursday and Friday.

The resort is selling 2017-18 season passes at an early bird rate that allows skiers and snowboarders access to the slopes for the remainder of this season, which is expected to continue at least through July 4.

Vail Resorts Inc. announced the company’s planned upgrades to Park City Mountain Resort for the 2015-2016 ski season. The plan, which totals over $50 million, is one of the most ambitious capital programs in U.S. ski industry history and will transform the guest experience at Park City Mountain Resort.

The plan would establish the connection between Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort, creating the largest single ski area in the country with more than 7,300 acres of skiable terrain, and complete a number of critical upgrades to the infrastructure of both resorts. The plan will be subject to approval by both Summit County and the City of Park City. Components of the $50-million capital plan include:

The Interconnect Gondola. An eight-passenger, high-speed two-way gondola from the base of the existing Silverlode Lift at Park City to the Flatiron Lift at Canyons. The gondola will also have an unload at the top of Pine Cone Ridge to allow skiers and riders the opportunity to ski into Thaynes Canyons at Park City via gated ski access or to the Iron Mountain area at Canyons through new trails that will be created from Pine Cone Ridge. This will mark the first gondola at Park City Mountain Resort since “The Gondola” was dismantled in 1997.

Upgrade of King Con and Motherlode Lifts at Park City. The King Con Lift will be upgraded from a four-person to a six-person, high-speed detachable chairlift and will increase lift capacity to this very popular ski pod. The Motherlode Lift will be upgraded from a fixed-grip triple to a four-person, high-speed detachable chairlift, also increasing lift capacity. Both upgrades will reduce crowding, lift lines and improve the guest experience.

New Snow Hut Restaurant, Upgrades to Summit House Restaurant at Park City and Expansion of Red Pine Lodge Restaurant at Canyons. The plan calls for building a completely new Snow Hut restaurant at the base of the Silverlode Lift and next to the Park City terminal for the Interconnect Gondola, with 500 indoor seats and a top-of-the-line kitchen and culinary experience. The plan also includes an upgrade to the “scramble” area inside the Summit House restaurant to improve the flow of diners and increase seats. At Canyons, the Red Pine Restaurant will be renovated to accommodate an additional 250 indoor seats. This upgrade follows the recent renovation and increase of 150 seats to the Cloud Dine restaurant at Canyons.

Snowmaking and Other Improvements. The plan features additional snowmaking on two trails in the Iron Mountain area of Canyons which will become increasingly central ski terrain given its proximity to the Interconnect Gondola. The plan also includes almost $5 million of “catch up” maintenance and upgrades at Park City, given the lack of spending at the resort over the past few years. This “catch up” maintenance spending is in addition to the normal annual maintenance capital for the two resorts of $5 million, which will be undertaken this year as well.

“This comprehensive capital plan for Park City and Canyons is one of the most ambitious and impactful plans undertaken at any resort in industry history, transforming the experience at both resorts and creating the largest single ski resort in the U.S. with more than 7,300 acres of skiable terrain,” said Blaise Carrig, president of the mountain division for Vail Resorts.

“The improvements offer skiers and riders more terrain and upgraded lifts to enhance the guest experience and reduce crowding and lift lines, new and upgraded restaurants, more snowmaking and an overall ‘touching up’ of all aspects of the resorts,” Carrig said. “The plan was based on feedback from guests and the local community as well as discussions with the senior operating teams at the two resorts. We look forward to continuing to work with the county and the city and are hopeful we can bring this plan to life for the 2015-2016 ski season.”

For the 2015-2016 ski season, the company intends to operate the two resorts as one unified branded experience under the name “Park City Mountain Resort”. The Canyons base area will be renamed “Canyons at Park City”. The company will continue to maintain the unique history and atmosphere of the two base areas with differentiated marketing for the diverse hotel and hospitality experiences.

Deer Valley Resort has entered into an agreement to purchase Solitude Mountain Resort and will begin operating the resort on May 1, 2015.

“Solitude is an incredible resort and provided a huge opportunity for us to expand our offerings right here in Utah,” said Bob Wheaton, president and general manager of Deer Valley Resort. “Solitude is in unique position with their widely varied terrain that attracts both local and destination skiers. We are ecstatic to be able to add the resort to the Deer Valley family.”

“The DeSeelhorst family has enjoyed being a part of Solitude’s history for almost 40 years. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the resort and in our mountain community,” said Dave DeSeelhorst, owner and general manager of Solitude Mountain Resort. “We feel very fortunate for the opportunity to have worked with so many amazing people in our industry and most importantly being able to work with our incredible staff at Solitude over the years. It is exciting to pass on this unique and beautiful resort to one of the best resort operators in the country, Deer Valley.”

For the upcoming 2014-15 ski season, Solitude will operate as usual under the leadership of the DeSeelhorst family. To foster the most effective and strategic change over, select Deer Valley staff will work alongside Solitude staff during the next six months to evaluate resort operations and gain knowledge about the Solitude brand and culture. Deer Valley will then take full ownership of Solitude Mountain Resort on May 1, 2015.

FAQs:

Why did Deer Valley Resort enter into an agreement to purchase Solitude Mountain Resort?
Deer Valley recognized a great opportunity to expand within the Utah market by adding Solitude Mountain Resort to the Deer Valley family. Solitude is an incredible resort, with both family friendly and expert terrain, and we are sincerely excited to begin working with the staff.

Amount Paid? Assets acquired?
This is a private acquisition.

How will this purchase change the experience at Solitude?
It will be business as usual, run by the DeSeelhorst family, at Solitude for the upcoming 2014-15 season. Deer Valley recognizes Solitude’s unique position in both the local and destination markets and acknowledges that we have much to learn about the current operation and brand position. Consequently, we will have select Deer Valley staff work hand in hand with Solitude staff this winter to share knowledge.

Does current Solitude staff need to worry about their employment?
Deer Valley does not anticipate any major changes in staffing at Solitude at this time.

Will snowboarding still be available at Solitude? How about the Brighton connection?
Deer Valley plans to continue allowing snowboarding at Solitude and keep the Brighton connection in place.

What about One Wasatch? Now that Deer Valley intends to own Solitude does a connection from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Deer Valley, instead of Park City Mountain Resort, make more sense?
One Wasatch (formerly the Ski Utah Interconnect) has been analyzed over the years and the present lift alignment recently released by Ski Utah seems to make the most sense.

Will it become a mini-Deer Valley?
Although Deer Valley will bring some of our service oriented and operational philosophies to the resort we do not plan to rebrand Solitude as another Deer Valley.

Will the name change?
At most, Deer Valley would make a small adjustment to the name to let current guests and potential visitors know the resort is now part of the Deer Valley family. We believe there is a lot of awareness and brand equity in the Solitude name.

Will there be a reciprocal arrangement for skiing benefits between Solitude and Deer Valley Resort?
Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort full season pass holders will receive four ski days at each respective resort. Deer Valley midweek pass holders will be given two passes valid, Monday through Friday, at Solitude for the coming season. Holiday restrictions will apply: December 24, 2014 – January 2, 2015; January 17 – 19, 2015 and February 14 – 16, 2015.

Will Solitude be added to the Wasatch Benefit program?
Deer Valley anticipates the Wasatch Benefit program will remain as announced in September with shared lift privileges for select season pass holders between Alta, Deer Valley and Snowbird.

Will lift ticket, locals and season pass prices increase dramatically due to the purchase of Solitude by Deer Valley?
There will be no changes to the lift and season pass rates announced by Solitude for the 2014-15 season. Moving forward, Deer Valley Resort will analyze past resort performance, operational expenses and projected revenue potential prior to setting rates.

Will Deer Valley bring more capital and marketing investments to Solitude?
Deer Valley will take the next six months to analyze operational and marketing/brand opportunities prior to announcing any capital investments. In addition, Deer Valley will begin promoting the great experience and resort jewel Solitude currently is in spring of 2015.

Does Deer Valley plan on buying any more resorts?
Although Deer Valley is not actively pursuing purchasing another resort, we have always been open to analyzing opportunities that may be a good fit for Deer Valley.

Did Deer Valley purchase Solitude in response to Vail Resorts’ purchase of Park City Mountain Resort and Ian Cumming’s purchase of Snowbird?
Absolutely not. Deer Valley has entertained many opportunities to purchase resorts over the years and in the end, those opportunities did not make good business sense. Solitude came to us at the right time and for the right reasons including: the location in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah; past business practice and performance; and great awareness in the local market.

Vail Resorts, Inc. has announced that with the company’s acquisition of Park City Mountain Resort, the iconic resort in Utah will join the Epic Pass, expanding the collection of mountains offered on the season pass to 22 resorts and more than 32,000 acres of skiing and riding.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer unlimited skiing and riding at Park City Mountain Resort on the Epic Pass for the 2014-15 winter season,” said Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. “We continue to provide even greater value and variety in skiing and riding with the Epic Pass and significantly invest in the guest experience at our mountain resorts, including new chairlifts, on-mountain dining options and innovative snowmaking expansions for the coming winter.”

The 2014-15 Epic Pass features unlimited, unrestricted skiing and riding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City and Canyons in Park City, Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan.

Also, Epic Pass holders have the opportunity to extend their skiing and riding adventures globally with up to five consecutive free days (when booking in-resort lodging) at the renowned mountain resorts of Les 3 Vallées, France (Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle) and Verbier, Switzerland, and five consecutive free days at Niseko United, Japan.

Vail Resorts is offering the season pass at $749 for adults and $389 for children (ages 5-12). Information: www.parkcitymountain.com

Take a stroll down Park City’s historic Main Street and you can’t miss Loosey the Moose all dressed up in her finest, the intriguing wind sculptures, the wonderful Park City Museum, and the chairlift where you can take a ride up to Park City Mountain Resort.

The Park City Museum is housed in the former city hall and territorial jail built in 1885. It tells the story of the city’s silver mining heritage and its transition to a ski resort.

Visitors can climb into an old mining cage and feel what it was like to be transported miles underground and explore the life of a miner. The many exhibits, historical artifacts, interactive displays and running documentaries will keep you busy for a good hour or two.

One fascinating tidbit was how two miners started the area’s first ski resort. But to get to the hill, skiers had to ride a mining car three miles underground, then step into a mining cage to ascend 1,800 feet to the surface. The trip took an hour.

It was snowing the day we wandered around town, so we couldn’t take in more than a quick glimpse of the many sculptures and outdoor artworks along Main Street.

We spotted the well-dressed and primped Loosey, a bear on a bench in case a visitor wanted to snuggle for a photo and a very realistic looking Native-American ready to let fly with an arrow.

There were also many intricately patterned metal windmills, the work of world-renown artist Lyman Whitaker, who for 30 years has been “gracefully capturing the spirit of the wind through his kinetic art.”

There are a dozen or more art galleries along Main Street, showcasing a variety of work from local and nationally known artists. Several have an emphasis on Western art and feature painted and sculpted bison, horses and bears, and canvases of pastures, wranglers and beautiful alpine autumns.

But there are also the wild and wacky, the delicate glassworks and the Hollywood icons.

We often stopped to read the signs about the historic mining buildings lining some of the ski runs at Park City Mountain resort.

Visitors can take a free guided historic mountain tour and learn the history behind Park City. Tour guides provide a wealth of knowledge, as well as fun stories of how the runs got their names and behind-the-scenes vignettes from the 2002 Olympics.

Here are some fun facts you’ll learn:

• $450 million in silver was mined at Park City Mountain from 1,200 miles of tunnels.

• Park City’s silver mines produced 25 millionaires.

The tour is offered 10 a.m. daily at the Eagle Statue in the plaza or at the Summit Demo Center at 1:30 p.m.

A light snow started in the morning and would continue off and on for the rest of the day. Not a heavy Sierra snow, but the fine, dry snow that Utah is famous for. Its flakes were just big enough to sting your face if you took off your face mask.

Shooting by a terrain park we saw several boarders trying their luck on the jumps. Park City has three parks, including Eagle superpipe and Merrill minipipe.

Late in the day, we caught some high winds at the summit, but it was fine once you skied down into the valleys. It turned out to be another great day in our Park City adventure.

It’s not often that a chairlift will drop you off in the middle of town. But then, Park City, Utah, is a special place, where skiers take their sport very seriously.

So we laughed as we watched skiers and snowboarders jump on the town lift to take them up the hill to the huge Park City Mountain Resort. Must be nice to catch a few runs after school, which more than a few students looked like they were doing. Skiers originally traveled underground through a mine shaft to a hoist, where they were lifted 1,400 feet to the mountain. Now you can just jump on the city chairlift.

We had a little bit of everything at the ski resort, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Wind, snow, fog — but we still had a great time exploring this Utah ski resort nestled up against the city with the same name.

We met up with our group at the Eagle Statue in the lovely resort plaza at the base of the mountain. It looks great with shops, restaurants and services on the first floor and lodging on several floors above.